Jacob s



J. s. GIBBS.

ELBGTRIG SWITCH.

(No Model.)

No. 510,533. Patented Dec, 12, 1393.

UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

JACOB S. GIBBS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE PERKINS ELECTRIC SWITCH MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 510,533, dated December 12,

Application filed March 15,1893. Serial No. 466,059. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JACOB S. GIBBS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

Theinvention relates to the class of switches which are placed in electrical systems for making or breaking the circuit, the object being to provide a simple, cheap and durable switch having a continuous rotation, which will alternately open and close the circuit with a very quick unretarded movement of such distange that there can be no arcing of the curren Referring to the drawings:Figure 1 is a plan of the switch with the handle and a portion of the top cut away. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the switch. Fig. 3 is a plan of the base showing the stationary poles, the

moving poles being removed. Fig. 4is abottom view of the movable portion of the switch. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the block with the ratchet teeth that is a part of the movable portion. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the locking-notch ring that is attached to the base,

and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the movable pole pieces.

In the views 1 indicates a base of porcelain or other insulating material, and to this are secured the stationary contact poles 2 that are connected with the circuit wires. form shown these poles are supported by posts 3, and are provided with springs ,4 to insure a perfect contact between the movable and the stationary poles. The adjacent poles are of different heights, those opposite being the same, so that the movable poles which travel one quarter of a revolution will alternately connect and disconnect the poles. The movable poles 5 are preferably formed of a strip of conducting material, with one end bent out from the upper edge and the other end bent out from the lower edge, the body of these being embedded in the walls of the hollow shell 6 of insulating material at the proper height to enable the ends to engage the stationary poles. The shellis borne upon aspining In the dle 7 supported in aperforation in the center of the base, and provided with a handle by means of which it may be turned, and in the chamber is a block 8 that can be reciproeated, but not rotated, independently of the shell. A small spiral spring 11 in the shell between a collar 12 secured to the spindle and the top of the block, thrusts the latter downward with a yielding force, while a larger spiral spring 13 elastically connects the block wit-h the collar 12. On the bottom of the block 8 is formed a series of ratchet teeth 9 and locking ing lugs 10, or formed to extend outwardly at the highest portion of each ratchet tooth and the small spring 11 thrusts the block so that the teeth are in contact with the pin 14 that is secured to the spindle. When the lower portions of the teeth are in contact with the pin the locking lugs enter and engage the locking notches 15 in the inner edge of the ring 16 that is secured to the base, the inner edges of the ring on one side of the notches being inclined to facilitate the movement of as one end is secured to'the collar on the spin-.

dle and the other to the block in the insulatshell which cannot rotate as the locking lugs engage the notches in the ring on the base; however, as the spindle is turned the pin is also moved under the teeth on the block so as to lift the latter. These teeth are so timed that when the spring has reached a sufiicient tension the pin has lifted the block so that the locking lugs clear the notches and allow the block and the insulating shell with the movable poles to jump forward under the impulse of the now tense spring, until the downward pressure of the small spring causes the locking lugs to slide down the inclines on the ring and engage the next set of notches. This is repeated at each turn of the key, so that the poles alternately make and break the circuit as the rotation of thekey is continued. By means of this a very sudden and quick movement is imparted to the movable poles by a very slight turn of the handle, which broken. As the spring is never tense except when the key is turned to open or close the circuit, it will retain its elasticity for an indefinite period.

I claim as my invention In combination, a base bearing stationary poles, a rotary spindle,a hollow shell of insulating material bearing poles,loosely mounted upon said spindle, a block with ratchet teeth and outwardly extending locking lugs formed on the under side, connected by means of a spring with the spindle, said block being rotatable with, but longitudinally movable independent of the insulating shell in the hollow of which it islocated, a spring between the top of the block and the inner face of the top of the shell, for forcing the blockdownward, a ring with locking notches on the base, and a pin on the spindle movable under the ratchet teeth to disengage the locking lugs 20 from the notches, substantially as specified.

JACOB S. GIBBS.

\Vitnesses:

H. R. WILLIAMS, 0. E. BUCKLAND. 

